Mamdani calls ICE a 'rogue' agency after NYC shooting, claims agents view law as 'merely a suggestion'
NYC Mayor Criticizes ICE After Shooting Incident in Marble Hill
New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, denounced federal immigration enforcement as a “rogue” agency in a Sunday interview with MS NOW host Jacob Soboroff. The comments came a day after a federal immigration officer fired seven shots at 28‑year‑old Oscar Belgal during an arrest attempt in the Marble Hill neighborhood of Manhattan. A 5‑year‑old boy who was inside the vehicle was unharmed.
The shooting occurred Thursday afternoon when ICE agents tried to apprehend Belgal, a Dominican national with a prior record that includes grand larceny, assault, robbery, drug and weapons offenses. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed that at least one federal officer fired seven rounds, striking Belgal in the neck just below the left ear. The NYPD was not involved in the arrest but released body‑camera footage of officers responding to the scene. Both the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are investigating the incident.
A U.S. District Judge, Paul Oetken, temporarily blocked Belgal’s deportation and restricted his transfer outside specified federal judicial districts without court approval. The decision came after Belgal’s case was reviewed in the wake of the shooting.
Mamdani, speaking for the first time since the incident, said he had spoken with President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin for almost two hours on Thursday evening in an effort to secure Belgal’s release. He expressed frustration that the secretary “did not think that ICE agents had done anything wrong.” “The longer that ICE agents were engaging in their operations in the city, the less safe this city was becoming,” Mamdani told Soboroff. He urged the agency to cease operations in New York City immediately, arguing that ICE’s presence creates terror rather than safety.
“We follow the law in New York City and I know that to the secretary, the law is merely a suggestion when it comes to the actions of these ICE agents,” Mamdani said. “They are making a mockery of what law and order is.”
In response, the Department of Homeland Security released a statement to Fox News Digital. “ICE enforces the law as written. What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is whether or not they are illegally in the U.S. — full stop,” the spokesperson said. “Mayor Mamdani should be thanking our law enforcement for removing these dangerous criminals from his city — NOT vilifying law enforcement.” The statement added that smears against ICE had led to a 1,600 % increase in assaults on officers, who “are now facing a 1,600% increase in assaults against them as they put their lives on the line to arrest murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists.”
Secretary Mullin countered the mayor’s remarks at a Friday news conference. “His words are dangerous and incite hostility. It doesn’t help,” Mullin said. “He said that ICE is rotten to the core. Really? Men and women at ICE each day are enforcing the laws that he refuses to enforce. He said he wants to abolish ICE. Well, Mayor, if you abolish ICE, who’s going to take the criminals off the streets of your own town?”
The DHS spokesperson added that nearly 7,000 criminal illegal immigrants had been released from New York jurisdictions under sanctuary policies. The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown reportedly resulted in more than 3 million illegal immigrants leaving the United States, including an estimated 2.2 million self‑deportations.
The incident and the ensuing political back‑and‑forth highlight the ongoing tension between local officials and federal immigration authorities over enforcement tactics and public safety concerns. As the legal challenge to Belgal’s detention continues, the debate over ICE’s role in New York City is likely to remain a heated topic.
